It just struck me that while Western culture represents dance from African traditions that draws on animal movement as "savage" and "animalistic," movement in the martial arts - primarily from Asian traditions - which also draws on animal movement is not characterised that way. Even though movement that is both a fighting style as well as (often) a meditative art has potentials for violence that dance doesn't. Because white Western culture has a different set of stereotypes for describing Asian culture.
I haven't seen enough Western comment on/representation of the fighting styles developed in Central and South America from a fusion of African and American Aboriginal traditions to know if they are more likely to be characterised as savage, primitive or animalistic.
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Sat, Jul. 26th, 2008 05:15 pm (UTC)It just struck me that while Western culture represents dance from African traditions that draws on animal movement as "savage" and "animalistic," movement in the martial arts - primarily from Asian traditions - which also draws on animal movement is not characterised that way. Even though movement that is both a fighting style as well as (often) a meditative art has potentials for violence that dance doesn't. Because white Western culture has a different set of stereotypes for describing Asian culture.
I haven't seen enough Western comment on/representation of the fighting styles developed in Central and South America from a fusion of African and American Aboriginal traditions to know if they are more likely to be characterised as savage, primitive or animalistic.
But it wouldn't surprise me if they were.